The City of Danger
by purplicious1234
Summary: Annabeth Chase is on the run. From her family, friends, and her old life. And she's looking for a place to crash. Running across the entire country, her feet find no rest until she sees NYC. But what happens when she is accidentally thrown into a get-rich-quick scheme and she can't help but feel a spark for the leader. But what does he have to do with the New Yorker that she meets?
1. Chapter 1

**HI everyone! This is my first Fanfic, so don't judge me too hard! Anyway, I have a pretty clear view on this story, so don't worry; I will definitely finish it! I always accept help and opinions on my story, so feel free to review! Any criticism is good criticism! Also, this story is being co-written with my friend; -. (You thought I would actually tell you the name? Dudes, seriously). Now… *** **drumroll** *** the story!**

The City of Danger

 **Chapter 1:**

 _ **Annabeth's POV**_

 _Gasping, I run for the hills. The metallic mountains hovering over little plain, gray ants hustling about the black sizzling tar. I can see the sign, showing me that my sanctuary is just a few hundred feet ahead. Throwing a quick look over my shoulder, I can see_ them _chasing me. Always chasing me, chasing me from the remnants of my life…_

BEEP! BEEP! WEE-OH! WEE-OH! Shocked, I jump off the branch of the tree I was sleeping on, and start running to….to…anywhere, really. The screaming sirens tell me that the relentless amounts of police cars chasing me are closing in on my location….

Panting, I race into the woods; before running into a tree and knocking myself unconscious by the speed of my frantic sprinting. _Wow me,_ I thought as the blackness started closing in on me, _this is the_ perfect _time to knock myself unconscious._ Amazing _knack for timing!_ And then it all went dark.

I slowly, agonizingly awaken by an annoying jab in my right side. I hear a faint mumble…

"What…?" I whisper, closing my eyes.

"Is the pretty butterfly dead yet?" A rough voice asks. I open my eyes and cringe from the bad breath being blown directly into my nostrils.

I stare up into insanely blue eyes that stare down at me; my rescuer.

"The pretty butterfly?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah," the girl says, before pointing at me.

"Umm…"

"Follow me!" The girl says cheerfully, tugging me through the starless woodland. On our journey, I scrutinize her. The girl seemed to be a few years younger than me, maybe eleven or twelve. Her dark reddish brown hair was tied back with a blood-red bandana, and it looked as if she was wearing all orange. Orange jumpsuit, orange socks, orange shoes…even orange earrings.

For a second, I thought that I was going on a trip with an escaped convict, but then it crossed my mind that she was too young to do anything serious… _right?_

"Ahh!" Without looking where I was going, I had walked right into a trap.

I stumbled down a steep slope into a muddy pit.

"HAH! I have captured the butterfly!" The girl yelled, and I thought, _crap._

 _So, here I am, on the run from the police, and trapped in a ditch where a (possibly) insane girl led me into. My life is totally_ perfect.

"Are you okay down there?" A voice echoed into the trench.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine…but I need some help out of here!" I yelled desperately.

A rope dangles down into my prison, and I grasp it thankfully, slowly pulling myself up, hand over hand over hand…

The scene that meets me at the top is so comical, that I cannot stop myself from laughing; the girl who trapped me is lying on the ground screaming, while a cop—who seemed to be goth—calmly sat down next to her and explained that she would be going _back_ to a mental facility.

"Hey." The police woman said, smiling. Normally I would shrink away from cops and try to avoid them at all cost, but maybe this time I would make an exception.

"Hi, thanks for saving me!" I replied cheerfully.

"No problem—it's my job." She says and we both chuckle. "Anyway, Clarisse," she nudged the girl at her feet with her left foot, "will be going back to the insane asylum that she escaped from. You see, she escaped…so I was hired to bring her back without causing …uh…disturbances…to the public."

I stared at the young girl still screaming, and throwing a fit. It was an easy explanation that she was insane.

"Thank you." I said earnestly. "I forgot to introduce myself! Hi, my name's Annabeth, Annabeth Chase."

"Nice to meet you, Annabeth." The cop said. "I'm Thalia. Thalia Grace, at your service." She held out a hand for me to shake, and as we shook, I could feel that start of an amazing friendship…maybe even an accomplice….


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! Bunches of thanks showered out to anyone who came back to read chapter 2! Lots of cyber cookies for you! (::) (::)** **! Anyway, I know that chapter one was really, really, really short…so I had to update as soon as possible…and I promise that each chapter will have a minimum word count of 4,000 words! (Not including Author's Notes) I will try as hard as possible to update really fast, and it will most likely be really easy, because it's SUMMER!** **. So maybe a chapter every one-to-three days? On the rare occasion that it will be more than a week, I will warn y'all ahead of time, and update as much as possible before the time where I cannot update…anyway, I'll stop with this Author's Note now, and continue on with the story! *cheering crowd* Okay, okay….CHAPTER TWO!**

 **Chapter 2:**

 _ **Annabeth's POV**_

Thalia and I have become pretty good friends in the time since she rescued me from the friendly neighborhood crazy person. *cough* Clarisse *cough*. I actually managed to tell her my story…some people that despise me would have said that I finally cracked, and I'm not as "strong as I seem". Maybe so, but it's helped me a lot. For example, Thalia invited me to room with her, since her old roommate, a girl named Juniper, decided to move in with her boyfriend. She—Thalia—has a nice little apartment in SoHo, which surprised me. Behind the black eyeliner, black eye shadow, black spiky hair, and her electric blue eyes, turns out that Thalia is pretty rich. Or at least her family is.

Family. A word that now disgusts me completely.

"Annie! Get your butt off my couch and go get me some coffee!" Thalia yells from her tiny office. She is a PI, or Private Investigator…so her work can be pretty stressful.

I proceed to stick a pair of ear buds into my ears, and turn up the music on my iPhone to full volume. Silently, I rock out on the couch, hoping that Thalia will forget about me and return to her work.

"ANNABETH! I KNOW THAT YOU'RE INGNORING ME AND THAT REALLY TICKS ME OFF!" I sigh. My masterful plan did not work.

"Fiiiinnnneeee." I groan. "But don't call me Annie ever again, or that coffee you want might just end up down your shirt." I say, threatening her.

"Annie. Just go get the coffee. There's a Starbucks down the street that's pretty cheap. For New York. Just get me anything that's strong and will keep me awake for the next twenty-four hours."

"Tough case, huh?" I ask, flicking through texts on my phone.

"Stop stalling and get your butt out the door." I sigh and pull on my grey boots, my _silver_ coat, a polka-dotted silver and blue scarf, and a turquoise hat. At this time of year, anything less than five layers was a death wish if you're going outside.

As I slowly make my way to the Starbucks, I take a deep breath and stare at all the stores, businesses, and people that populate New York. Even after a month of living here, it still seemed so strange. Nothing at all like San Francisco, where I had been born and raised.

I open the door of the coffee shop, and sigh at the blast of heat that greets me. Outside, blowing winds strong enough to knock down trees, and snow big enough to create mountains battle the relentless crowds.

 _A crowd I am no longer part of._ I thought smugly. _At least not for these next five minutes._

"Ahhhh!" I slip on a patch of ice near the door and tumble to the floor—only to be caught by a pair of arms. Strong arms, I might add.

My eyes still tightly closed and panicked breaths coming from my mouth, the words that the stranger that caught me says to me fly completely out of one ear.

"Eshcoooz megljfgl?" I ask, eyes still closed. After taking a deep breath and composing myself, I correct my sentence: "Excuse me?"

"I said, are you alright ma'am?" The stranger says. As I open my eyes, I notice it's a guy, and a not bad looking one either.

His raven colored hair is messy and every which way—which I find intensely cute for some reason—and his sea green eyes stare at mine with worry. Gods, I wish I had eyes that beautiful color. Not just simple, boring, grey ones.

He lifts an eyebrow, and I realize that I have still not answered his question.

"I'm fine, thanks to you…" I say, before noticing the extreme closeness of our faces.

 _It would be so easy….to just grab your face and kiss it…_

I mentally slap myself. I couldn't start a relationship, not now, most likely not ever. And 2) he was a complete stranger. Maybe he had a girlfriend, or he was married, or he was a CONVICT!

Again, my face receives a mental slap. _What is with me and convicts…?_

"Miss?" I blink. "Would you like some help?" he asks sweetly.

 _Awww,_ I coo, _he cares about me!_

There is something seriously wrong with my brain.

Suddenly I notice how muscular this guy is, and how incredibly—STOP!

 _Nope, I would_ not _like your help._

"Yes, please." I say and this time mentally punch myself. After ordering the coffee, and talking with the guy some more, I realize what a nice person he is.

"So…" he started, "It registered within me that I didn't know your name…" He said, throwing me a charming smile as we walked back to Thalia's apartment.

"It's Annabeth, Annabeth Ch—. Just Annabeth." I smile, and berate myself for almost giving away my last name. I was still a missing person to the press, and therefore anyone, and I mean _anyone_ , could _not_ be trusted. Except for Thalia.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Percy." I notice how he didn't offer his last name either, and I don't pry.

"So…first time here, or do you live here?" I grin, noticing his slight New Yorker twang.

"First time here, but I've managed to find a place with a friend."

"Hmm." He says thoughtfully. "My favorite color is blue." I stare at him in surprise at the blunt, random thing, before giggling.

He wiggled his eyebrows, causing me to laugh harder.

"My favorite color is grey." I say.

"Grey." He says. "Grey….?"

"Yes, is there anything wrong with grey?" I ask, veiling a teasing threat.

"No…it's just so…grey." He said, puzzling over what exactly he was trying to tell me.

"I love your eyes." I say. Before a shocked expression comes over my face.

 _Note even "I like your eyes." but "I_ love _your eyes."? Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth, what has gotten into you?_ I chide myself.

He stops for a second, before catching up with me.

"Thank you." He offers sincerely. "I _love_ your eyes too." I rolled my eyes at how he paused on the word 'love'.

"They're just grey, though!" I argue. " _Your_ eyes are much better."

He shakes his head. "Nuh-uh. Your eyes have miniature storm clouds in them, plus they sparkle." He winks and I can feel myself blush.

" _Well_ ," I say, thinking of a better comeback, " _your_ eyes are little miniature oceans, complete with waves and surf and a brilliant blue sky. Your oceans rage about restlessly, like your really thinking about something." I lean in unconsciously, studying his eyes. My eyebrows furrow in concentration.

"Maybe about how beautiful you are." He replies, leaning in as well. I think about my annoyingly curly blond hair, and my simply grey eyes. _Nope, not beautiful._

Before anything can escalate between us, I place a finger on his lips, stopping them from reaching mine. He pouts, and I almost cave.

"Come on," I recover, pulling away, "my friend's apartment is right there." I walk in the door, nodding to the doorman and heading over to the elevator.

"So…Annabeth. I really like you." I blush and lower my head more. I've barely known this guy for half and hour! But maybe…that doesn't matter when it's true love! My heart argues.

"Maybe we can meet for coffee sometime? In an hour or so?" My breathing hitches for a second.

"Coffee again? Does a Mister Percy have a little obsession? And so eager to see me again?" I say teasingly, even though inside my heart is basically exploding.

"So what if I do? At least it's with you." I smile at the rhyme he makes.

"Alright." _DING!_ The elevator door opens.

"Top floor?" Percy asks. "Is your friend rich or something?"

"Maybe…" I smile. Smiling, I've been doing that a lot lately, and especially with Percy.

I unlock the door to Thalia's apartment and open the door, showing Percy inside.

"Well welcome to the humble abode that I currently live in." I wave an arm, pointing to all the rooms as I state their purpose. This is the main room." I gesture the large room we are standing in. "There's the kitchen." Point. "The corridor with the main bedroom, and seven other bedrooms." Point. "Dining room." Point. "Pantry." Point. "Den." Point. "Office." Point. "And finally, the last—and my favorite—room: the sunroom." I point over to a glass enclosed area that houses several plants, rocking chairs, and had quite a few stained glass paintings.

It was peaceful, quiet, and there was absolutely no reason that Thalia should have had it built there, but maybe her old roommate had wanted it to be there. For that I was very grateful to Juniper, even though we didn't know each other personally.

Percy let out a low whistle as he observed everything with wonder.

"Not bad, huh?" I said, hanging up my coat and hat and scarf. I stomped my boots on the Welcome mat, removing any leftover snow that hadn't melted during my trudging around the building.

"Not bad?" Percy said, turning to me. "Not _bad_?! Gods, this place is amazing Annabeth!" He grinned.

"Annie did you get the coffee?" A voice screamed at me from the office. I sighed.

"Please don't call me Annie. My name is _Annabeth_."

"Alright Annie, I'm coming to get it. Was that another voice I heard?"

"Uh…yeah?" I said, hoping it was okay with Thalia that I had brought someone over.

Percy looked very awkward, shuffling his feet. I motioned for him to follow me into the kitchen and sit down. He obliged.

"Is it a guy?" Thalia said as clicking noises could be heard from the computer in her office.

"Uh…yeah?" I said again. _Wow Annabeth, what a brilliant answer._

"Do I need to give him the talk?" I blushed as Percy snickered.

"Just kidding." Thalia said as she walked into the kitchen before stopping shocked.

" _Thalia?_ " Percy said surprised.

"Hey, cuz." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Welcome to my little home. Now what are you doing here?" Judging from the glares that the two cousins were sending each other, I was pretty sure they did _not_ have a stable relationship.

" _Annabeth_ invited me in." He shot back turning to me. Unpredictably his gaze softened as he stared at me, but hardened again at the sight of Thalia.

"Out." She said before going to open the door. "Get out."

I watched them both in confusion…what could have happened between them to cause such hate?

"Annabeth." Percy turned to me. "I'll see you later?" He asked, and I nodded my affirmation. We traded numbers quickly, and then I began to stare longingly at him. I don't know why, but every time I placed eyes on that boy I swear my heart began to take over my entire body.

 _Annabeth, you've only known him for around an hour…it's not normal for someone to behave like this._ I scolded myself.

Thalia glared at him until he left her apartment.

"Annie, don't see him. Please tell me you won't go see him." I glanced at her, puzzled.

"He may not seem like it right now, but Percy is a dangerous person. A _very very very very bad_ person." She talked to me as if I were a child.

This irritated me very _very very very_ much. I, Annabeth Chase, was not a child. A minor, sure—in the eyes of the law, but as an extremely responsible sixteen year old, I was not a _child_.

"Why?" I asked instead, bottling up my feelings for later. I would need them. Don't ask me how I knew, but I _knew_.

Thalia turned away from me.

"Just trust me on this, Annie. Percy is not someone you would want to start a _friendship_ with." The way her voice paused on 'friendship' told me that she definitely did _not_ want anything more than a friendship. And if possible, no friendship at all.

I don't know why this made me more determined, but it did. I made a goal: become friends with Percy.

 _And maybe something more…?_ Shut up.

Thalia turned around and walked back to her office, coffee cup in hand. A few minutes later, I heard furious clicking. I sighed, before checking my phone.

 _2:15 PM._ Had it really been only fifteen minutes since Percy had left? Even though I hadn't known him long…it felt like we had known each other _forever_.

 _Call Percy_. I stared at the button. I was being desperate; I was meeting the guy in forty-five minutes, had just seen him fifteen minutes ago, and I wanted to call him. I gingerly placed the phone down on the kitchen countertop and backed away slowly.

Sitting in the main room, I opened up my laptop and resumed my search for a job. Even though I was sixteen, I could pass for eighteen, which would be an acceptable age to work as an architect. _Oh, an architect_. I wanted to be an architect so badly it physically hurt. Not every second of every day, just whenever I thought about it.

I just loved looking at impressive architecture and seeing in my mind where the structural points were, how to improve it, and the texture and quality of the building.

 _Olympus Architecture._ I clicked on the link, and viewed the website. From what I could gather, it was a very popular business that had done many buildings in cities worldwide. It was headquartered in New York, however—a plus. I practically was drooling at the paycheck, work hours, and designs. For every building successfully designed, a hundred thousand dollars, as well as the fifty thousand per month. The work hours were simply to finish blueprints as soon as possible, but if it wasn't finished in under four months, the fifty thousands stopped until finished. And I could work at the office, at home, or on the go via the digital app! I grinned, before entering information about myself in the _Hiring_ section. For a second I considered lying about my age, but honesty was always important.

 _Sent. You will be notified if we have accepted your application, and you will receive an email with the time and date of your interview shortly. Good luck young architect—Olympus Architecture._

I crossed my fingers before setting up an alert that would inform me if I received any emails.

Browsing CNN, I noticed an article that had the words New York, dangerous, bank robbery, and recent in them. Becoming very concerned, I began to read the three paragraph long report of vicious robberies all around New York.

 _The robberies of New York City started about three months, when the_ Bacchus Bank _located in central Manhattan was attacked by a group of gunmen, who demanded that a million dollars be handed over to them, or they would murder the innocent civilians in the bank. Being the good citizens they were, the accountants saved the lives of many people by doing as they requested and at the same time alerting the police. Sadly, they did not arrive on time. This was the first of many attacks to plague New Yorkers, and there is no end in sight._

 _Over the course of the next two months after that incident, many more banks were attacked. Officials deemed them to only be "pitiful bank robbers". But late last month, the same group began striking anything and everything, from simple tourists to grocery stores, and even civilian houses. Unfortunately, no one was ever able to catch them red-handed._

 _They are now called "_ The Thieving Ones", _and are a severe threat to the public. They are armed and dangerous, and if anyone has contact with a member of the group and are able to hand information to the police, a reward of one million dollars is offered for any legible piece of information. More is on page eight. –Robert Dionysus._

 **By specific request, all other pages of this article have been removed for the safety of the public. Thank you, CNN.**

I groaned, the story had just begun getting interesting!

 _DING! DING! DING-DING!_ I jumped up, shocked and answered my phone.

"Annabeth?" I smiled; it was Percy.

"Hey, Perce!"

"Uhh…are you on your way?"

I glanced at the clock; it was already 3:00!

"Um…yes! I will be right there!" I was already struggling into my boots and coat as I ended the phone call.

"Thalia, I'm going out!" I yelled while fastening the buttons.

"Be careful!" She screamed back at me.

"Bye!"

I basically ran out of the apartment building and wiggled myself through the crowds and into an empty Starbucks. Empty except for a person who was smiling at me with amusement.

I looked down and blushed. My shoes were untied, my buttons were done wrong, and my scarf had managed to wrap itself around my wrist. Funny, in my hurry to get to Percy I hadn't noticed.

"Here, let me help." He jumped down from the stool that he had been sitting on, and helped me unbutton my coat.

"You're very cute, you know that?" He said while bopping my nose. If it had been possible, I turned redder than I had already been.

As we sipped coffee and just chatted, I felt happy. Happier than I had been in a long time.

As the now familiar tone of sirens went down the street, I realized at how I had completely changed my life.

Being on the run to living in a posh apartment in SoHo was a big step up.

As the sirens got louder and louder, I looked outside and saw several police cars parked in front of the Starbucks.

Percy grabbed my arm and pulled me behind the countertop, where luckily no one was at currently.

"Shh." He whispered, shoving me closer to the ground.

I gulped. Had they found me? Had my parents finally found me? I imagined the scene in my head:

My father, Frederick Chase would probably lock me in my room, ground me, take away anything I enjoyed, than sneak off to his secret lover. My mother, Athena (she disliked using my father's last name) would most likely lecture me for hours, then take away my privileges, then call her friends and mouth off about what a horrible child I was, and maybe even call child services saying that she didn't want me. Helen, my father's girlfriend—who I most definitely did _not_ consider part of my family—would talk my ears off about the twin baby boys that she's having with my father. Now multiply that times every day of my life.

Honestly, sometimes I think that my older brother—who was given away after birth because he was an "accident"—had it better than me.

And I absolutely refused to think about what _Jeremy_ had done.

I had finally broken down and run away. Away from the pain, disappointment, and eternal sadness that lived beside me.

"Annabeth," Percy's voice yanked me out of my stupor, which I was thankful for.

"There's a back door that we need to use." He whispered in my ear.

"Wouldn't they have already surrounded the entire building?" I asked.

Percy groaned.

"PERCY JACKSON! WE DEMAND THAT YOU COME OUT OF THE BUILDING WITH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD! WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE ALONE; NO ONE CAN OR WILL HELP YOU! THIS BUILDING IS SURROUNDED!" A scratchy voice being amplified by a bullhorn blasted into their ears.

I stared in shock at Percy…what could he have done?

Percy looked at me then gestured for me to follow. He slowly backed into the storage room in the back, and moved a few boxes. I curiously wondered about what he was doing.

"WE ARE GIVING YOU FIVE MINUTES!" The same voice screeched.

Percy began moving the boxed faster, more desperate. Finally he unlocked a latch and pulled up a trapdoor. My breath hitched in my throat as I gazed down into the darkness.

"Trust me." Percy whispered.

The problem was…I didn't know if I did, and I was certain that I was (possibly) putting my life in his hands. Acting on impulse, and terrified of what would happen if I was caught and sent back to San Francisco, I began climbing down the ladder that had appeared attached to the wall after inspection.

I was beginning to think that I was living in a clichéd story, and everything would end up being perfect….even through all the danger and horrible things thrown my way, it would all turn out all right….and then something like this had to happen.

"Annabeth," Percy whispered. "If they ask you, you _don't_ _know who I am_. Alright?" His voice hardened and I gulped.

"Alright." The single word that I had spoken sounded so small, vulnerable, and lonely…I wondered what Percy would have done if I had not consented.

"Percy? Why are the police after you?" I breathed out.

"Trust me, Annabeth, it's best if you don't know." I jumped off the ladder and stared at my surroundings. We were in the sewer. The sewer. The _sewer_. My nose scrunched up at the smell, and my eyes began to water.

"Follow me." Percy gestured, and so began our long walk to freedom. By the easy way that he viewed the place, it gave the impression that he knew this escape route very well.

 _Click_.

"Freeze. Put your hands on your head. A gun is aimed at you, and if you turn around, well….let's say you won't have a face anymore!" The foreign voice chuckled.

Percy slowly raised his arms to his head, and I followed suit.

"Alrighty then, turn around very slowly."

We turned.

Percy dropped his hands and began to laugh. I stared at him as if he was crazy.

The other man lowered his weapon and also began to chortle. He ripped his mask off his face and I blinked at the sight of his pale white skin and black hair, hair that was even blacker then Percy's.

"Hey Nico! You scared the jeebies out of me!" Percy said slapping 'Nico' on the back.

"Percy! Now who is this fine lady you've brought?" He said motioning to me.

My hands found their way onto my hips. "Excuse me?! 'Fine lady'? I am not a 'fine lady' to be _marveled_ over." I spat out, narrowing my eyes.

"Feisty, eh?" Nico said, grinning.

"And _you._ " I jabbed a finger into Percy's chest. " _Jeebies?_ " I asked, smiling broadly.

Percy blushed sheepishly, "Well…Annabeth, this is Nico, my…. _friend_. Nico, this is Annabeth."

I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, my situation didn't seem as grim anymore, and the way back to the apartment was filled with laughs.

"Hey, Perce, Annabeth," we nodded at Nico to continue. "I know a shortcut to the apartment, just right along here and _bam_ , we're there."

The "shortcut" was an alleyway filled with abandoned crates, dark shadows, stinky smells, and (possible) rats. Everywhere I looked, there seemed to be a person hiding, waiting, watching.

Arms pulled me back and tilted my head up. I felt cold metal resting at the base of my throat.

"Percy…Nico…" A woman's voice purred. "Look who we have here…." I stared down at the knife that could end my life in three seconds flat. Then I stared at Percy, searching for an answer in his eyes.

"Rachel." He replied curtly. "What do you want?"

"I want in." She said. "I heard about your….expertise these days, and about the…business deals you have made lately…so I want in."

Percy visibly clenched at her words…

 _What expertise? What business deals?_

"Let her go and we'll see." He said pleadingly.

"Aww…does the big bag wolfy care for someone?" Rachel purred once again.

"Well. Look at that. Oops!" She said teasingly as I felt something drip down my shirt. She had cut me.

I felt the thin blade begin to slowly tear its way into my skin.

"Percy." I whispered.

He stared at me.

"Percy…" I tried again.

"Fine." He said, and I felt myself being let go. I dimly perceived my body slam onto the ground, before arms picked me up again.

"Percy." I smiled, before closing my eyes.

"No…no…no! Annabeth! I can't let this happen again! Not after Cal-" He broke down sobbing as he carried me hopefully back to Thalia's apartment.

I wondered who Rachel was, who "Cal" was…and…and…my mind shut itself down.


	3. Chapter 3

**So I know that I posted Chappy 2 kind of late in relation to Chappy 1, but I have been** _ **really really really**_ **busy…BUT TO ANYONE COMING BACK AGAIN! So much lurv coming out to you! More cyber cookies! (::) (::) YAY! Anyways…I had the story all planned out and everything…but then I reread the summary that I had posted for this story so I had to make a few changes…I hope no one will mind this early in the story! And by changes I mean changes to the plot line in ma head. If anyone noticed…I kind of changed the rating to 'T', because of well…it's a teensy tiny bit obvious. (Chappy 2). And if anyone was wondering, the story will** _ **only**_ **be in Annabeth's POV, Percy's POV, and Third Person POV. But the last option will be very rare. Also, I am not planning on starting any other stories until I am well into this one...Hmm…oh yeah! This entire week I am pretty much free so I shall write + post as much as possible. BECAUSE, in exactly one week, I'll be in sleep-away camp which means…= no electronics !** **. Poop. SO yeah. And I'm rambling. Well, here it is….*CROWD SCREAMS* "GIVE US PERCABETH!" *says in fear* "Alrighty here it comes!". I tried to make this chapter major Percabeth, cause you know…they're my OTP. But don't worry, it will still follow the story line….okay, I've put it off long enough: DRUM ROLL PLEASE! *silence*….OKAY THEN! CHAPPY 3!**

 **Chapter 3:**

 _ **Percy's POV**_

 __When I saw Rachel holding a knife to Annabeth's throat, I'm pretty sure my whole world collapsed. I haven't even known her long, here in New York…. but it feels like forever…

Now pacing anxiously in the waiting room of the New York Hospital **(I just made that up, don't look it up.)** , I'm thinking of worst-case scenarios.

1) Annabeth dies. _Bam_ , I said it. Or well, _thought_ it. 2) She is mutated forever and can't talk. (The knife went it really deep!) 3) She is totally fine but hates me for getting her dragged into this mess. (Hey, she was in this mess ever since she met me…it's unavoidable now.) 4) She….

 _STOP. Nothing bad will happen…she'll be fine…nothing bad will happen…she'll be fine…nothing at all like what happened to Calypso will happen…_ Shocked I simply sit down on the floor.

An old woman and her granddaughter stare at me as if I'm crazy. Well, perhaps I am.

 _Calypso…_ It hurt to think about her. Her and her beautiful long hair and her amber eyes and her incredibly nice personality and her tinkling laughter…and then all the blood…and her last words…

"Forget about me, Percy. It's what's best."

 _Doesn't she understand that I_ can't _? Calypso, you were my world, my everything…I can't. It's simply impossible for me to forget about you._

I will never forgive Rachel. She had to let her gang rivalry get the best of her, and she…she... _murdered_ Calypso. Rachel is a murderer.

Though I can't say that I'm any better. I don't know how many times I've seen men and women look down the barrel of a gun, and then close their eyes forever when I push the trigger.

The only difference is…they weren't innocent.

 _Keep telling yourself that, Percy._

"Umm…" Someone cleared his or her throat. "A mister Percy? A missus Annabeth would like to see you." I shot up, relieved.

"Yes!" I shout. The doctor raises an eyebrow. "Uh…I mean…yes." I say, giving the appearance of calmness.

I follow him down the long, narrow, twisting hallways, and the only thing I can think about is Annabeth.

And if she remembers me from San Francisco.

*flashback*

 _"Percy come on!" Annabeth giggles as she runs towards the gym at our school, Goode Middle School. "We're going to be late!"_

 _"Annabeth, I physically can't go any faster! If I do, then I will explode into a pile of dust!" I yell after her. Of course, I could run more swiftly then Annabeth ever could, but I always let her win._

 _"And Annabeth, do you_ want _to ruin your dress?" I said stopping._

 _"Your right!" She exclaims and abruptly halts._

 _I laugh. "First time_ I've _ever heard those words from you!"_

 _She chuckles and punches me in the shoulder._

 _"Ow Anniebeth! I have a boo-boo!"_

 _She just stares at me. "Percy?" I nod at her to continue. "Will it be okay? What if I don't know how to dance and Jeremy hates me or I trip into the punch bowl and Drew Tanaka makes fun of me for the rest of my life or I eat too much food and get cramps and end up in the nurse's office and the night ends up being horrible or-"_

 _I put a finger on her lips. "Annabeth," I say softly. "Everything will be fine. You and Jeremy will be the cutest couple there is at the dance, and you_ do _know how to dance. Plus, it will most likely be_ me _that trips into the punch bowl-with all my skills!" I wiggle my eyebrows._

 _She smiles. Nothing like cheering up your best friend. We've known each other for six years, ever since kindergarten. Best friend. The word pounds a steady rythym in my head. Best friend._

Could it be more?

 _I scold myself. Annabeth has Jeremy, and I have…well…my friends._

 _"Let's go." She said, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the hallways._

 _We stop in front of the gym doors and observe everyone inside._

 _"So…are we just going to stand here like stalkers, or are we going to go dance?" I asked._

 _"Dance, you dummy." She said, punching me softly._

 _"Then may I have this dance?" She turned around._

 _"Jeremy!" She hugged her boyfriend._

 _"J, my man!" We fist-bumped._

 _"So, my question?" Jeremy grinned at Ananbeth._

 _"Of_ course _!" She said before he whisked her onto the dance floor._

 _As I watched them dance together, a twinging feeling in my stomach caused a bit of rage to boil over._

Calm down, Percy. Calm down.

 _I walked over to the punch bowl and poured myself a glass._

 _"HEY PERCY!" A voice screamed and I winced inwardly._

 _"Hey…. Drew…." I replied as I turned to see the school's number one cheerleader and mean girl standing behind me._

 _Over her shoulder I could see Annabeth and Jeremy slow-dancing, and a burning feeling came inside me._

*end of flashback*

We stopped in front of a small, white door.

"The cut was small, but it went in very deep." The doctor started, and I sucked in my breath.

"But no damage was done to any important arteries." I let out the breath I was holding.

"However, she lost a lot of blood and needs bed rest for the next week or two. I don't recommend doing any activities that require a lot of movement, and she needs a lot of tea." As the doctor stepped out of the room, he said, "I'll leave you two alone now."

The door closed.

I walked over slowly to the hospital bed where Annabeth lay.

"Percy?" A weak voice asked and I sighed in relief. It was nothing like the last time where I saw her in a hospital…she remembered me.

*second flashback*

 _"Percy?" My mom asked me._

 _"What, Mom?" I was busy working on my 8_ _th_ _grade science project. Okay, I was busy doodling Annabeth's name on the paper where my 8_ _th_ _grade science project_ analysis _should go._

 _"I just got a call. From Mrs. Chase."_

 _"Mhmm."_

 _"It's Annabeth. She's in the hospital."_

 _I stare at her in shock._

Please, please, please tell me you're lying! _I ask her with my eyes. Though I know it's true._

 _In all my life, Sally Jackson has not lied to me, not a single time._

 _"I'll drive you." She said, and I nodded._

 _The car ride was filled with memories of Annabeth. Annabeth's laugh, her smile, her Know-It-All voice, and her eyes._

 _"Percy." Her mother greeted me curtly with a nod of her head. "She's in there." Athena pointed to a door to the left of her._

 _Without bothering to answer, I rushed into the room._

 _"She was skateboarding, sir. I was showing her how to skateboard." Jeremy's voice floated into my ears._

 _"I_ see _. Well, she has some permanent memory loss due to the heavy knocking around her head got."_

 _The doctor left and my whole world turned upside down._

Permanent memory loss?

 _"Annabeth? Do you know who I am?" Jeremy asked, leaning over her._

 _"Jeremy." She smiled at him. "My wonderful boyfriend and best friend."_

 _Her gaze turned to me. "Who are you?" My heart burst._

 _"Hey…man…I'm so sorry." Jeremy said._

 _"I-I-…I'm moving to New York." I barely managed to whisper._

 _Jeremy's sympathetic gaze turned into a cold one._

 _"Well, then. It'll be me and Annabeth against the world." He smiled shrewdly._

 _"And maybe the pretty cheerleader? Drew?"_

 _I sucked in a breath. He was talking about cheating on Annabeth._

 _"Don't you even_ think _about hurting her.", I said._

 _"Well, there's not much you can do about it, can you? You'll be off in New York. Oh! And she doesn't even remember you." He spat out._

 _I narrowed my eyes at him. How could I have ever thought that Jeremy was good for Annabeth?_

*end of flashback*

"Hey Annabeth, you alright?" I said, gently brushing her cheek with my hand.

"I am now." She said.

"Just rest." I said, sitting down on the bed next to her. "Everything will be fine."

 _Because, you know, people get stabbed a lot in this area, so the doctors know what to do!_

I shushed myself.

I stood up to go, but she grabbed my hand.

"Don't leave me…" She whispered, beginning to cry.

"Shh, I won't." I sat back down and brushed her curls out of her face. "Go to sleep, Annabeth. Go to sleep."

"Call….Thalia…" She managed to say before falling asleep. I smiled at her still form, before pulling out my phone. I sighed.

"Siri, call Thalia."

 _"Calling…Thalia…"_

I waited patiently for her to pick up; I knew she would. I never called unless it was important.

" _Percy_." She spat out. "If this is about the family business. I already told you! I AM NOT BECOMING A PART OF A CRIMINAL GANG!" I held the phone away from my ear until she calmed down.

"I know that you, Dad, Uncle P, Uncle H, and Nico are all _conspiring_ to get me into it too, but IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!"

"Wait-" I tried to say.

"'THE THEIVING ONES'?" She screamed. "That's what the news is calling my _family_." She said softer. "My _family_. How good do you think that feels, huh? But wait, of course _you_ wouldn't know because you are. In. A. Criminal. Gang."

"Thalia, this isn't about that…" I said.

"Then what is it? What was so important that you _had to call me_?"

"It's Annabeth. She's in the hospital. Rachel stabbed her."

Silence. Then, "Rachel? That *beep* is going to get it one day. I'm on my way."

She hung up the phone.

I put my phone in my pocket and faced Annabeth.

 _She looks extremely cute in her sleep! Just like I remember…._

I planted a small kiss on her forehead.

 _Guess like I'll be here for a long while…._

I curled up on the bed at Annabeth's feet, before falling asleep…

"Percy." I groan, before hugging the pillow I'm holding even tighter. Mmm, what a soft, amazing-smelling pillow.

"Percy. If you don't let go of me, I will never get out of this hospital."

I opened my eyes and found myself staring directly into Annabeth's stormy gray ones.

Thalia started laughing in the corner.

"When…when…" She laughed more. "When I got here," She managed to compose herself. "I found you and Princess here cuddling. Bet you had a fine time, huh?" She chuckled, but I found the veiled threat in her eyes.

 _Don't even think about it, Perce._

"I fell asleep at the _foot_ of her bed, I swear!" Annabeth and Thalia both started giggling. I don't think I've ever heard Thalia giggle. _Ever_.

I slowly untangled my arms from Annabeth and tried to keep my cheeks from bursting into flame. I did not succeed.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._ I looked down at the Caller ID.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this. I'll catch up with you later, okay Annabeth?"

"Okay, Percy!" She said a little too brightly. I ginned at her and she blushed.

Thalia rolled her eyes before glaring at me; she knew what the call was about.

I walked out of the hospital, before going to sit in my car before I took the call.

"Hello?" I asked carefully.

"Perrrcccyyy." A voice purred.

"Rachel." I said through clenched teeth.

"Telllll meee, how is Annnnabetthhh? I hoppeee that I did nooottt huuurrtt herrr soooo badddly?"

"She is fine. Now, what do you want?"

"What do Iiiii wannnnttt? There are maaannnnyy answers to thiiisss queestttion. But, howevvverrr, the grroouuupp woullddd liiiikkkeee Annnabetthhh."

Her lilted voice was incredibly annoying. Wait, what?

"Annabeth? Why does the group want Annabeth? And the last time _I_ checked, I am the leader, hmm?"

"The request was iniiitttiiaatteeedd by a Miiiissttteerrr P." Dad.

"And what would Mr. P want with Annabeth?"

"Aaaaa recrruiiitttmeennntt. She will be the diiiisstrrracction."

"Absolutely not. Request denied. Why couldn't Mr. P just use you?"

"Wellllll, Peeerrrrcccyyy. The poooolllliiiceee already know who Iiiii aammmm. But a freeeesssshhh face like Annnaabetthh's. Nowww that would be maaarrrvelloouuuss! And this request cannnnnnot be deniiiieeeed."

I grimaced. "Alright, I will begin the disappearance process immediately. But on one condition: Annabeth cannot know our real identities."

"Alllrrriiiggghhhttty. I will teeell Miiiisssstterrr P. And Perrccyyy," she paused, "I look fooorrrwaarrddd to meeetttinggg you, more…fooorrrmmmalllly." I hung up on her. I stared at the hospital, before putting my car into drive and heading to the safe house. Gone was Percy, only the leader of " The Thieving Ones" remained. Cold, heartless, and most definitely _not_ in love with Annabeth.

A few days passed, and Annabeth attempted contact daily. I ignored every text, call, and requested FaceTime. For this to work properly, it had to seem as if I had disappeared into thin air. Forever.

Unfortunately, I could not see Annabeth until a minimum one month had passed…the pain was unimaginable.

Weeks of loneliness passed, before the day came when we could initiate Operation Annabeth. Clever, huh?

"Control Room to Alpha Team. Ready?" I heard my dad's voice echo in the earpiece I was wearing.

"Alpha Team to Control Room. Copy that." I whispered, careful not to give anything away to innocents milling around the mall. Control Room had hacked into her text messages with Thalia, and they had found out that they would be at the mall today. A perfect time and place to kidnap Annabeth.

"Control Room to Beta Team. Ready?" I stayed silent.

"Beta Team to Control Room. Copy that." Nico's soft Italian voice filtered into my earpiece.

"Control Room to Red Team. Ready?"

"Reeeddd Teeammm to Contrrooll Room. Copppyy thattt." Rachel's calico words filled up the space in my head.

"Control Room to Alpha Team. Initiate Operation Annabeth."

"Alpha Team to Control Room. Initiating." I said.

I motioned for my group to follow me. Control had told us that Annabeth and Thalia had stopped their shopping spree to grab some Fro-Yo. And Thalia had just gone to the bathroom, perfection.

Slowly my team surrounded the food court. It was nearly empty.

I sent out two men to stay near the bathroom, in case Thalia came out before we were done.

I slipped my mask over my head and practiced my accent.

Annabeth would (hopefully) never recognize me.

I slipped behind her and quickly wrapped a rag onto her nose. She passed out. I gestured for some people to carry her to the van. Phase 1 was complete.

"Alpha Team to Control Room. Phase 1 of Operation Annabeth is complete."

"Control Room to Alpha Team. Copy that."

"Control Room to Beta Team and Red Team. Retreat. Phase is complete."

I heard two 'copy that's' but I didn't pay attention. All I could see was Annabeth, limply slumped over in the back seat. I carefully buckled her in before putting the van into drive.

Operation Annabeth could take up to years to complete…years that I would have with Annabeth. But Annabeth would have them with a stranger she didn't recognize.

"Tie her up." I ordered gruffly, before sitting in a chair in front of Annabeth, waiting for her to wake up.

It took 48 hours before she finally did. I was watching the news.

 _"It has been two full days since Annabeth (no last name was given) has disappeared from the local mall. It has also appeared that the group "The Thieving Ones" has kidnapped her. A reward of three million dollars for the rescue of the teenager is being offered by the police. More on this breaking story later at seven."_

"Wha…where am I?" A voice mumbled.

I quickly slipped on my mask before replying. "We are "The Thieving Ones"…perhaps you've heard of us?"

I turned around.

"You're. You're. You're that group that has been harming and robbing innocents in New York!" She spat out.

 _Oh great, now she hates me._

"Did you ever think, that the people we attacked were…perhaps… _not innocent_?" I let that bomb drop. Annabeth was silent.

"Well, _Annabeth_. We need something from you. Actually a few somethings. Let's call them… _favors_ , shall we?"

She glared at me. "Why don't you take off your mask, you _coward_?"

I was shocked. _Coward, coward, coward…_ The word floated around in my head.

Seeming satisfied with the response I had, or well, _hadn't_ given her, Annabeth smiled smugly. "Let. Me. Go." She said fiercely.

"We will." This time it was Annabeth's turn to be surprised.

"What?"

"For those few favors, of course." I walked over to a computer and started a presentation. "You have been knocked out for 48 hours. By us, of course. You probably already know that we take money from the rich, powerful, and definitely _not innocent_. But we are nothing like Robin Hood, my dear. Our job isn't to help the poor; it's to make the lives of the evil…miserable. It teaches them a lesson, and gives us money. Win-win." I smiled.

"So it's a get-rick-quick scheme that you just _make it sound_ like it's for a good cause."

"Just stop talking, _please_ , so I can get along with my presentation." I said annoyed.

Annabeth grinned. "Nope, I refuse. I will not stop. Lalalalllalalaa I am talking, talking talki-". She shut up.

I had simply walked across the small space in the room and kissed her. Bam, no more talking.

I let go of her face and walked back to the computer.

"Let's see…where was I?" I mumbled and tried to find the right slide. Even though I was giving the appearance of being nonchalant, inside I was jumping with joy.

 _I just kissed Annabeth. Annabeth. Annabeth._

"Ah, yes." I pointed to the slide. "In exchange for your freedom, you will be our distraction when we commit crimes. Our faces are all wanted, yours is not."

"How are you going to keep me doing what you want? What do you have against me that will keep me from going to the police?" Annabeth said, recovering.

"Well, _dear_. We have guns. You don't. Also, I could just do this again." I reached over and kissed her again.

She slapped me.

I guffawed as I walked out of the room. "You have three hours to decide. I suggest you help us…. because it will not be pretty if you don't."

I felt her gaze creating a hole in my back.

The door slammed shut behind me, trapping Annabeth with her choices.

"Hey cousin!" I took off my mask and wiped the sweat off my face, it sure was hot under there.

The mask was all black, and it covered my entire head, except for my eyes, nose, and mouth.

"Hey Nico!" I said and we man-hugged.

"How are things going…. inside there?" He nudged me towards the door. Suddenly everyone was silent and the joyous bustling in the game room stopped.

"Yeah Perce…" Connor Stoll started.

"What's up with her?" Travis Stoll finished.

Instantly everyone's attention shifted to me.

"Uh…I showed her the presentation that Control prepared. And she's thinking about it."

Nico and the Stoll twins started making kissy noises.

"Percy and Annabeth sitting in a tree," Connor started.

"Guys," I warned.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Travis shouted and everyone burst out laughing.

"Not funny." I said, chuckling.

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," I agreed. "It's _kind of_ funny. The second time I tried to kiss her, she slapped me!" I said, pretending to be hurt.

 _It did hurt. Emotionally and physically._

"Oi Percy," Nico shook his head, "When are you going to learn? You and girls just don't mix."

"PEEERRRCYYY!" Rachel screamed before flinging herself at me and choking-I mean _hugging_ me.

"What did you say, Nico?"

Nico just shook his head.

"You, Percy, are _impossible_."

I smirked at him.

"Percy?" I turned my head and saw a large, muscular man walking my way. At once, everyone stood up and saluted him. His black hair and sea-green eyes were identical to mine.

"Hi Dad." We fist-bumped.

"Perseus." I looked past my father and saw another man with stormy blue eyes standing near the door.

"Uncle Z!" I said as he slapped me on the back.

"Looks like you're doing a great job leading the place…" He said.

"I told you _my son_ would be perfect for the job!" My dad said proudly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Unlike that daughter of mine." Uncle Z muttered.

"Anyway," He said changing the topic, "I'd like you all to meet: Jason. My son and Thalia's twin brother."

We all stared at him as if he was crazy, before turning to give the same stare to the blond-haired, blue-eyed wonder that walked through the door.

"Hi…my name is Jason Grace…. and this is my girlfriend, Piper McLean."

A girl with brown, choppy hair and kaleidoscope colored eyes peered over Jason's shoulder.

"Once Annabeth agrees to the plan, I'll pose as her best friend." Piper said.

"Soo…like a..." Connor began.

"Double distraction!" Travis said.

"And I…." Jason said. "Will be _your_ best friend!" Jason poked me in the shoulder.

"We've decided to send out 'Double Duos' and you, Jason, Piper, and Annabeth—once she agrees—have been chosen." Uncle Z patted my head.

"Uh…" I said, blinking. "Uh…"

"Excuse my son…he has trouble processing lots of information at the same time." Dad elbowed me.

"HEY!" I said, "I understood what Uncle Z said! Completely…yeah…" I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head.

"So Percy, I'll leave you and the gang alone. We're going back to Control." I nodded.

"Bye Dad! Uncle Z."

"So, Jason…" I said awkwardly.

"Hey cuz!" Nico broke the cumbersome silence by hugging Jason. "Welcome to the family. You too Piper." He hugged her as well.

 _Man, I wish I were that good with people…_

"Guys, I'm going to check on Annabeth, okay? You know, start a friendship." Piper started walking towards the door, behind which Annabeth was tied to a chair.

"Alright Pipes, but be careful." Jason kissed her cheek.

"I will Sparky!" She waved before vanishing into the room.

"Pipes?" Nico asked.

" _Sparky_?" I said astonished.

"Umm, yeah…" Jason said.

"Hey, wanna play some video games _Sparky_?" Nico asked.

"Sure, _Death Breath_!"

"OOohhhh!" The Stolls commented before returning to their game of pool.

"While you do those _childish_ things, _I_ will be prepping for the mission." Holding my head up high in mock snootiness, I walked carefully to my desk and pulled out some papers.

Before beginning to draw on them with colored pencils.

 _So manly, Percy._

Before long, my thoughts began to drift to one thing, or one _person_ , really.

 _Annabeth._ I sincerely hoped that she would agree to the proposition that we had given her, because I didn't like to think about what I would be forced to do to her if she refused.

I wondered if her attitude towards me would change when, or _if_ , she found out who I really was. Would she hate me?

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Instead of wasting my time with all of these 'If or when or what' questions, I decided to actually prep for the mission.

Our target was a woman in her early twenties names Silena Beauregard. She may be pretty, and she may look like a goody-two-shoes, but she was a spy.

How ironic. The criminals robbing from the spy robbing from the innocents. Ironic. I'm pretty sure I misused that word…Annabeth could tell me if I did or didn't.

 _Focus on the mission._

Piper and Annabeth would be the distractions, by either posing as fan girls or reporters. Then, Jason and I would sneak into her top-notch apartment and somehow find the passcode to her bank account, and if that didn't work, we would steal her computer and hack into it.

 _Simple. Super easy. Everything would be fine._

I expected that this wouldn't be Piper and Jason's first mission, since they had to be the cream of the crop in another state or country to make it into our group. The only person I was worried about was Annabeth. She was inexperienced, smart, and liked doing things the _right_ way.

The smartness was a plus.

"Percy! Jason!" Piper practically screamed as she burst through the door.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Annabeth said yes. She's going to do it!" As we all celebrated our success and good luck, I felt a slight twinge of regret deep in my belly.

I tried to ignore it, but something within me told me that I would regret it later.

 _Oh, whatever. I'll just deal with it when the time comes._

 _Percy, listen to yourself. You_ can't _just deal with it when the time comes, you're in love with Annabeth. Deal with_ that _!._

I sat down on the floor and put my head into my heads. I could tell that I was getting a lot of weird looks, but for once I didn't care.

I was in love with Annabeth.

The Annabeth who was my best friend. The Annabeth who didn't remember me. The Annabeth I met in New York. The Annabeth who was being held prisoner in the other room.

 _Oh gods, Perce…what have you gotten yourself into?_ I cursed the voice inside my head.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! I've probably said this a billion times…but BUNCHES AND BUNCHES AND BUNCHES OF THANKS to anyone reading my story. Literally anyone. I will still thank you even if you accidentally clicked on the title but you still got drawn in. So I've made a mental schedule for myself: Every day this week, I will post a chapter. All the way until Monday. On Monday, the chapters shall stop. Because you know, the sleep-away-camp thing.** **. On one hand, I'm really excited to go!** **! But on the other hand, I don't want to stop writing.** **. I've got bunches of ideas for different stories, but I've managed to control myself and not start them. Because I really like this one, and I don't want to just abandon it. (Which happens sometimes to my stories…** **). Once I've gotten really into this story (Perhaps around Chappy 20?) I'll start a new one. Until then, I've basically been making summary after summary for all the stories in my head. Which I will all review and then pick one that I like the best before beginning to post on that. Once I start my new story, that means less frequency for chappy posting in this story!** **. But don't worry, that won't happen for a few weeks!** **! Oh, so I've realized that I've forgotten to write the disclaimer in my other chappies, so here it is:**

 **DISCLAIMER: I sadly, unfortunately, do** _ **not**_ **own PJO, or HOO. I am also** _ **not**_ **Rick Riordan.**

 **Bam.**

 **Chappy 4:**

 **Chapter 4:**

 _ **Annabeth's POV**_

When Piper walked in through that door, I can't say that I wasn't surprised. I had expected that hooded gang leader, or someone else. But definitely not an innocent looking girl.

I scrutinized her. She had constant color-changing eyes, and choppy brown hair. She appeared to be of Native American descent, but I couldn't be sure.

"Hi, my name is Piper." She said.

"What do you want?" I asked…I wasn't exactly sure if _they_ had sent her in to convince me to agree to their preposterous plan, or if she was in the same position that I was. Not physically though.

"Well," She said, astonished by my rude outburst. "I'd like you to think about the…um… _terms_ that Pe-" she coughed. "Um. _Peter_. That Peter gave you."

" _Peter_?" I laughed aloud. "The great horrible boss's name is… _Peter_?"

Piper's face had turned red.

"Yeah…Peter…." She had mumbled softly.

"So tell me why I would agree to this?" I asked her kindly, finding a shred of sympathy inside my for the poor girl who most likely had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

"Wait, can you tell me your name first? So this isn't as awkward?" Piper asked. Clever girl. They probably told her my name already.

"Annabeth." I said.

"Okay, Annabeth. The reason why you should reconsider being so stubborn about not doing this, is that you will have a murder on your conscience." At the end of her sentence, her voice had begun to fade out, so I had to strain myself to hear what she said.

"What?! A murder?!" I said shocked.

"I shouldn't really be telling you this…but…" Piper quickly looked around the room, as if _they_ were watching. Which they most likely were.

"I was in the same position that you are now." She whispered. Ding ding! Annabeth's ideas 1, other 0!

"And I refused to help them." I nodded at her to continue.

"I actually hadn't been kidnapped alone. There was someone else."

"Was?"

"You'll see. Anyway, it was…my sister. Lacey. And after I refused…they-they-they…" Piper burst into tears.

"Forced me to watch as they murdered her!" I watched helplessly as Piper cried her eyes out.

"Oh…Piper. Sweetie, that's terrible!"

 _Sweetie? Where did that come from?_ "But I didn't come here with someone!"  
"You don't understand." Piper sobbed. "They have _Percy_. Peter has Percy."

I drew in my breath. _Percy? The Percy I haven't seen for months? After he said he would "Catch up with me later"?_

"Yes." I said. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Annabeth. Thank you." I didn't know exactly why Piper was thanking me, but I got it as a general idea. She was letting Lacey rest peacefully by preventing further deaths. _Piper's a good person. Unlike me._

"Piper, may I ask you something?" She paused from her brisk walk towards the door. Wiping tears away with one hand, she turned around and answered.

"Sure, what is it?"

"How long have you been here?"

She seemed startled that that would be the one question I chose to ask.

"Lacey has been dead for two years now…and it was one year from my refusal to her death. So about three years."

"How old are you?"

"I recently turned sixteen. I was kidnapped at twelve."

 _Twelve?_ "What an ordeal it must have been for you…"

"You can't imagine." She said before walking out the door. For a brief moment, I heard laughter and the sounds of festivities trickle through the crack in the door, but Piper slammed it shut and it disappeared.

 _Oh well. It's to keep Percy_ safe _. Safe and not dead._ I reminded myself.

For a moment I pondered my memories, wondering if I knew him from the past. Nothing. It was a silly thought.

I closed my eyes and attempted to make myself comfortable but ultimately failing. I feel asleep to silence and knowing that on the other side of a simple piece of metal, lots of noise was occurring.

"Rise and shine Annabeth." I woke up to a soft voice and a pair of hands gently shaking me.

"Hey, Piper."

"Good morning!" She said brightly as she began to take off the ropes that bound me to a chair. I rubbed my wrists and ankles where dark cuts in my skin showed what I had endured.

"Today is your first mission!" She excitedly yapped at me. I just stared at her glumly. I was being forced to commit a crime with a notorious group of wanted criminals, because if I didn't I would most likely be killed or a very good friend of mine would.

 _How do you_ think _I feel right now, Piper?_

"Yay." I managed to say unenthusiastically. Piper raised an eyebrow.

"Anyway! We'll be meeting my mo-I mean my moped driver?" She said, acting a little confused. "Yes, my moped driver who also happens to be into makeup, fashion, and costumes! We'll be posing as cheerleaders who are trying to get a fund started for the National Cheerleaders Outfits Group! Or the NCOG! Right Becky!" This girl had had too much caffeine this morning…

"Your name is Becky from now on, and my name is Molly! GO US!"

"And we'll be your partners, girls." I turned around and my mouth dropped open. A total drop-dead gorgeous guy stood in front of me. His classic wind-swept hair and sparkling blue eyes labeled him as a stereotype surfer, but I don't think I would mind.

 _HOTNESS._ I thought, before face palming. _Though…he's not as amazing as Percy…_ A critical voice in my head responded.

"Sparky!" Piper exclaimed and rushed towards the guy before enveloping him in a big hug.

"Hey Pipes!" He kissed the top of her head.

"Annabeth, this is Jason!"

"Hi." I said.

"And _this_ , is Peter Johnson." Jason replied, before gesturing to my not-so-favorite kidnapper.

All I could think of…was that he was a carbon copy of Percy. Except that he had blue eyes, like Jason. Other than that…they were _exactly_ the same.

"So _you_ were the one that kidnapped me and threw me into this mess?" I snapped angrily at him, trying to cover up my shock with rage.

"Yeah…duh…" "Peter" said.

"Well, Mister PETER JOHNSON. If you harm ONE LITTLE HAIR on Percy's head. I will personally send Thalia AFTER YOU UNTIL YOU ARE SIX FEET UNDER KAPEESH?" I asked.

"Kapeesh." He mumbled. "So…are you ready?" He asked me with a challenge in his eyes.

As I tied my hair into a ponytail, I bounced on the balls of my feet and mentally rehearsed my cheers. _HI MY NAME IS BECKY, NICE TO MEET YOU! I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS, WHO WANT NEW UNIFORMS TOO!_ It was absolutely horrible, but it was for Percy. No way was I letting something happen to my friends.

I smoothed down the ruffled skirt of my hot pink cheer uniform and smacked my lips to make sure that the cherry lip-gloss was still there.

"Chillax Becky! It'll all be super! As long as you remember not to be a party pooper!" Piper screamed, throwing her pom-poms in the air.

"Jeesh, girls." Peter rolled his eyes, and I felt a little spark roar through me at the simple gesture that felt so familiar.

"Ready? Okay!" I said perkily. I knocked on Ms. Beauregard's door.

She opened the door cautiously before only peeking her head out. I mentally scolded the young woman for her smeared lipstick and mascara.

"HI MY NAME IS BECKY, NICE TO MEET YOU! I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS, WHO WANT NEW UNIFORMS TOO!" I waved my pom-poms in the air.

"Excuse me, what?" Silena asked, confused.

"Well open right on up! And we'll show you what's UP!" Piper pushed the door open and squirmed inside; the boys and me right behind her.

As I noticed Silena turning towards where the guys were sneaking to her office, I decided to distract her with another cheer.

I cleared my throat. "DONATE MONEY NOW NOW NOW! AND OUR UNIFORMS WILL HAVE THE EXTRA POW POW POW!"

"Now girls," She started.

"PLEASE BE NICE, YOU'LL ALWAYS WIN IF YOU'RE POLITE!" Piper screamed at the poor woman.

"Well, I think I'll go get my purse…but I think I left it in my office, would you mind waiting here for a minute?" She asked politely. I wondered what she had done to these people…it just seemed cruel to rob her.

 _THINK OF PERCY. THINK OF PERCY._ I chanted in my mind.

I closed the door with my foot. "Wait wait wait," I said slowly, bugging my eyes out at Piper, hoping that she would be able to make up the end of my cheer-sentence.

"Becky's got some _guy_ problems, mate!" She finished. I glared at her, not forgetting what she had told me about Silena's girly-girly side.

"Oh dear! I'll go put on a pot of tea and grab some cookies and you can tell me _all about it_!" She giggled before walking to the kitchen.

" _Piper_ ," I said through clenched teeth.

"It will buy them time?" She asked.

"Now, Becky," Silena began as we were both sitting on the couch munching cookies. (Piper was in a chair texting someone.) "What seems to be the problem?"

"WELL MISS!" I said loudly, trying to act like a cheerleader. "There's this football player I like…and we were kind of dating!" I smacked the gum I was chewing and blew a bubble.

She nodded for me to go on. "But I like caught him with like a fellow cheer sister!" I said, fake sobbing. "And that like made me feel so like stupid…because it was like my _cheer sister_!" I emphasized, "cheer sister".

"That must feel so hard." Silena said, stroking my cheek. I watched her hand. _CREEPY! Ugh…I hate sounding so fake…give me an hour with Isaac Newton and I_ won't _be struggling to find conversation…._

"Like and then he like broke up with me via like text!"

"Come here!" She wrapped me into a hug, and over her shoulder I saw Jason and Peter sneaking in the general direction of the door with Silena's laptop.

As she tried to disentangle from me, I just held on tighter. "And then…like….like…the day BEFORE he broke up with me…he like…was like…making out with her!" I sobbed into her back.

With my eyes, I glared at Jason and Peter's silent snickers.

*knock knock*

"Come in!" Silena said cheerfully, still comforting me from my "breakup".

"Hey Silena!" A male voice said as the rest of his body popped into view.

"Charlie!" She flung herself off the couch and into his arms.

"Um…who are they?" He pointed to a bored Piper texting on now, the floor, a teary me on the couch eating cookies and drinking tea, and finally Peter and Jason with Silena's laptop.

"Oh crap." Jason said, voicing it perfectly.

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO DONATE SOME MONEY!" I recovered quickly, waving my pom-poms in his face as Peter and Jason struggled to sneak past "Charlie" and Silena.

"Yeah!" Piper said quickly, jumping up next to me.

 _THINK OF PERCY THINK OF PERCY THINK OF PERCY THINK OF PERCY._ It's sort of become my mantra now. I am now officially obsessed with that boy. If only he knew what had happened, and could rescue me…

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" A voice blared. At this point, all I wanted to do was lay down on the ground, curl up into the fetal position, and cry.

When I had mentally asked if this could get any worse…I hadn't meant it as a challenge.

"Becky," Piper said cheerfully. "We're innocent; we haven't done anything! So we'll be fine here. Just answer some question and then go _home_." Bye the dangerous flash I had seen in her eyes, I knew that by _home_ she meant simply wait around until I could get kidnapped and brought to the secret safe house.

"You're right Molly!" I laughed. _THIS IS CRAZY._

"Excuse me, miss." A police officer said, after shortly arriving with blaring sirens. "Have you seen these two men?" He held up a picture of Jason and Peter.

"No, I haven't!" I said merrily.

After wandering the deserted streets in New York dressed like a dumb cheerleader, all the looks that people were starting to give me were really ticking me off.

I almost yelled: "GO FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO STARE AT!" Plus some other really not nice words, but then again… _I_ am wonderful.

When the finally made the abduction, I was really almost glad for it, since I had extremely disliked being hungry and cold and alone.

I woke up in a cafeteria propped up by pillow in an uncomfortable chair.

"Hey Wise Girl, when did you decide to grace us with your acquaintance?"

I scowled at the one and only stupid Peter Johnson. Surprisingly, he was sitting next to me, and even more appalling was the fact that I could smell him. He smelled like the ocean. Which wasn't _really_ an appalling thing…but…

"Seaweed Brain." I retorted.

"What?" The black haired, blue eyed boy, to tell the truth…seemed down to earth _confused_.

"Because you smell like the ocean, I assume that you go there often. And because you are dim, you have a brain filled with seaweed." I explained matter-of-factly.

"Well, then." He sniffed, mocking being anguished. "I got you some food by the way." He pushed a plate of spaghetti in front of me, and watched amused as I devoured it.

"Since we are holding the threat of Percy's death above your head, it had been decided to let you roam free in the building, but all windows and door leading outside are banned. After all, seeing poor Piper's tears must not have been a good experience…. hmm?" I hated him. I hated Peter Johnson and the fact that he was blackmailing me to become a criminal.

Though I had to admit…it had been the most fun and exhilarating experience I've had in a looooonnnggg while.

"Helllloooo Peeerrr-tteerrr." A familiar looking redhead slid into the other seat next to Peter and corrected herself. She chuckled nervously.

 _What is with these people and Peter?_

"Annyyywaaayy. Hooowww arreee yooouuu, Annniiiieeeebethhh?" She asked me, but I could see that all of her attention was focused on Peter. Just like it had been on Percy. I shuddered.

"Fine." I answered curtly.

"Misterrr Pppp. Wooullldd likeee tooo speeakk with you." She handed Peter a phone, and instead of leaving the room, he simply flipped it open and began speaking into it, seemingly oblivious of redhead's presence and mine.

"Hey Dad."

"…"

"Yeah, Annabeth?"

"…"

"Oh. So that's the _real_ goal for Operation Annabeth?"

"…"

"I _see_. So basically just get her to love being a criminal so she never goes back to who she was?"

"…"

"You want to change her whole _personality_ , Dad?" Peter snapped. I blinked dumbly and stared at the redhead, whose name I had finally remembered. _Rachel_. She simply gave me a smirk before slinking off to who knows where.

"Well I _don't care_ if it's "final"!" Peter chucked the phone into the nearest trashcan.

"Peter?" I asked gently. I understood what it meant to have family problems.

"I just can't lie about it anymore, Annabeth." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the cafeteria and into a closet.

I blushed at the extreme closeness of us.

Slowly Peter raised his finger and stuck it to his eyeball. I screamed.

"Oh my gods, Annabeth. Chillax." He held a blue colored contact lens on his finger. "Contact lens." He proceeded to remove the other one, but I held my face in my hands, attempting to not vomit all over Peter.

"Annabeth. I'm done." I looked up at Peter and my mouth literally dropped.

In place of startling blue eyes were familiar sea-green ones that I had missed so much.

"Percy?" I managed to choke out.

"Yeah, it's me." I hugged him and burst into tears. I untangled myself and then punched him in the face. Hard.

"Ow, Annabeth! What was that for?" He cradled his bloody nose with a hand as I shook out my knuckles to relieve them of tension.

"FOR KIDNAPPING ME AND THREATENING ME WITH YOUR OWN DEATH AND FOR BEING A WANTED CRIMINAL OH MY GODS PERCY WHAT WERE SCRATCH THAT, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" I screamed at him before enveloping him into another hug.

"Wise Girl?" He asked tentatively. "Are you going to punch me again?"  
"Not this time, Seaweed Brain. But may I ask…what in the friggin' world is going on?"

"Well, I guess you deserve a few answers." We sat down on the closet floor.

"My other identity is Peter Johnson, that's the name that I go by to everyone except for family and people in the gang." He held a finger to my lips, and I closed them, knowing that he was about to answer my question. "I'm not quite sure why I actually told you my real name." _LIES._ I saw something flicker in his eyes, but I ignored it. "But I guess it was a good thing when Thalia flipped out as she saw me." We bother chuckled.

"My real name is Percy Jackson." I stared at him.

"I know you." I whispered.

"Of course you do, Annabeth. We met a month or two ago."

"No," I said. "I've known you for years."

*flashback*

 _"Annabeth! The annoying person who demands to play with you is here, yet again!" My mother yelled at me, standing at the foot of the staircase with her hands on her hips. "What did I tell you about that boy? He is no good for you! But what does what_ I _saw matter? Not like I'm your mother or anything!" She sighed and went back to her bridge club._

 _I ran down the stairs excitedly. Ever since I had met Percy on the first day of kindergarten, we have been best friends. For_ two whole years _! For my little eight-year-old mind, this was a looooonnngg time._

 _"Hey Annabeth! Wanna go to the park and build a sandcastle?" I grinned, when have I every_ not _wanted to build a sandcastle?_

 _"Of course! But leave the designing part to me. You can carry the sand and water to our area." I laughed at how silly and unable to design a perfect sandcastle Percy was._

 _"MOM! I'm going to the park!" No response._

 _"Okay, Percy! Let's go!" I grabbed his hand and skipped cheerfully from my house towards the small beach at the man-made lake at the park._

*end of flashback*

"I remember everything." I whispered and Percy smiled at me.

"I'm going to continue with the story, alright? We don't have much time."

I nodded my consent.

"There are the Big Three, or so they're called. My dad, Poseidon, and my uncles Zeus and Hades. Or Uncles Z and H as everyone calls them. Grandma had a small Greek mythology obsession.

"I don't know exactly how it happened, but they all got into trouble one day. _Big trouble_. Long story short, _bam_ there's a gang of thieving teenagers!" I stared daggers at Percy and he gulped, knowing that I would drag all the details out of him later.

"Let's talk about something you remember, huh? Well I lived with my mom Sally in San Francisco (with you there too) until the sixth grade, when I moved in with my dad in New York. At that time you had had your memory loss, and couldn't even remember me…so when I moved it wasn't really painful." His eyes gave him away so I snuggled in closer.

"I took up the family business and worked my way up in the ranks until I became Alpha Leader." He gave me a smug smile, and I crinkled my nose at him in confusion.

"Basically the number one guy around here." I rolled my eyes at his smirk.

"Everything was all nice and dandy until you showed up. Then I couldn't stop thinking about you and everything that had happened back in San Fran."

"When I was ordered by the Big Three to kidnap you for mission purposes, it broke my heart…but I had to do what I was told. This is a dog-eat-dog world.

"Piper and Jason were actually sent in from an organization called Camp Jupiter, specifically for the purpose of helping on our Double Duos' missions. You, me, Piper, and Jason. So yes, everything Piper told you except her name was basically all fake.

"We did the mission somewhat successfully, but I just couldn't keep up the façade…and how you said my fake name…" he stared at me sorrowfully.

"I just _had_ to do something."

"I understand."

"You do?"

"Yes, I would have done the same thing had I been in that position."

"Really?"

"But I wouldn't have gotten into that situation in the first place, Seaweed Brain."

Percy guffawed and hugged me tight. All was right in my world. Until a topic came upon my mind.

"Percy?"

"Mhmm?"  
"I'd hate to interrupt our snuggle time—I enjoy it—but what about Thalia? Isn't she going nuts that I disappeared or something?"

"Oh _gods_. I forgot about her. She alerted the police, her fellow PI's, people that owed her favors, even tried to get the President to make a search party for you."

"Well that's Thalia."

"Yeah."

"Wait. The _police_?"

"Umm…that's what I said, right?"

"Percy…I didn't just come to New York several months ago. I ran away from home."

He gaped at me. "The do-gooder Annabeth Chase finally did something _bad_?" He sounded horrified-ly proud.

"Oh shut up." I punched his shoulder lightly.

"Thing got bad at home, huh?" He said sympathetically.

"Yeah…" I trailed off thinking about the _happy Chase family home_. Note the sarcasm.

"Hey…you know…there's something I've been wanting to do since that first time I became Peter Johnson…actually since the 6th grade school dance…scratch that, a loooooonngg time."

"What is it?"

He leaned forward and kissed me. I wrapped my hand into his hair and put my other one on his neck. Both of his hands had somehow become bundled around my waist protectively, before one hand moved up and began stroking my hair.

 _OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG_. My teenage mind was freaking out. But what the heck, I was in love with every second of it! Or more like every second with a certain person…

We broke apart, panting. In the last ten minutes, I had by some means ended up sitting on Percy's lap, and I turned into a fire truck…blushing away a mile a minute.

"Annabeth Chase, will you officially become my girlfriend?" He asked me hopefully.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked before crashing our lips together again.

"So that's a yes?" He wondered after we came up for air.

"Yes." I said, gazing into his eyes. With all of my newfound memories coming back, I could feel the younger version of me, crushing hopelessly on Percy, _and_ the older-now-present me. Who was actually dating him.

*knock knock*

"Perseus Jackson open up right now! We know you're in there with Miss Annabeth Chase!" I watched the door carefully, and then asked Percy a question with my eyes. He shook his head no; he did not have any idea what the heck was happening.

"Zeus, he is _my_ son. I break the news to him, no other shall!" I shared a scared look with Percy. It was his dad!

Percy slowly unlocked the closet door, and I slid off his slap before standing up, hoping to keep some of my lost dignity.

"Father. Uncles." Percy nodded towards the "Big Three".

"Percy what is the meaning of this?" Poseidon pointed at me. "She wasn't supposed to find out until Phase Nine!" _Phase Nine?_

" _Father_. She is my girlfriend. She deserves to know!" Warmth spread through my chest as Percy defended me.

"It is too late, Perseus." Hades spoke.

"She knows too much, too soon." Zeus chimed in.

"So?" Percy asked.

" _So_?" Poseidon repeated angrily. " _SO_? You have just ruined months and months of planning! And money!"

"Do you perhaps care about something else then money? Maybe _me_?" Percy spat back. I took a step back as I watched this verbal tennis match escalate.

"IT IS TOO LATE ANYWAY. NO ROOM FOR FEELING-DRIVEN LOVE-SICK _BOYS_ IN THIS GANG." Percy's dad snapped. "She will have to be terminated." He said in a quieter tone.

"What?" Percy and I said at the same time, sharing an anguished glance.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So I stayed up way past midnight to finish Chappy 4 and then post it, so sorry if it seems a teensy tiny bit crappy. But technically I don't consider it "tomorrow" until I wake up after sleeping, so I technically kept to my mental schedule of posting one chapter per day. Also if anyone and I mean ANYONE, has an idea for a filler chapter just go to the bottom, click on the button that says REVIEW and tell me your wonderful ideas! I'll try to use everyone's, but remember: I'm looking for** _ **filler chapters**_ **. Maybe in a few chapters I'll ask for AMAZINGLY EXCITING chapter ideas, but for now just filler chappies. Lately, I've been running low on duh creative flow (THAT RHYMES!) so any and all criticism welcome! Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan, and I do** _ **not**_ **own PJO and/or HOO. Also, because I just love these things: CYBER COOKIES3! (::) (::) (::). Hmm. Also vote if you would like Thalia back into the story more! (Again, just go down to the REVIEW button and click on it. Then type "yes" or "no". It would be helpful if you said what you were saying "yes" or "no" to, too.).**

 **HELLO! If you are reading this, then I have successfully come back from camp alive, and I have removed the** _ **other**_ **Chappy 5, and the horrible author's note about it! YAY! I have decided to keep the** _ **other**_ **Chappy 5's author's note, as can be seen above, because it contains some important info that I would like to keep.**

 **Chapter 5:**

 _ **Annabeth's POV**_

"You heard me right. Terminated." Percy's dad repeated.

 _Death….death…death….termination…_

"Let's go, girl. Now." He grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Percy.

"DAD!" Percy screamed while being held back by his two uncles.

I stared back, broken as I was dragged from my life.

Poseidon roughly lugged me through long winding corridors, full of interesting architecture—but I noticed none of it, still in shock.

"Alright, listen. Before you start panicking on me, you are _not going to die_."

I sighed in relief, relaxing.

"But," He paused, looking me in the eye. "We can't have any of this…" he gestured to me, "lovey-dovey stuff between you and my son. He is supposed to fall in love with Rachel, and only use you. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case."

"Now, don't think I don't know who you are. Miss Annabeth Chase. I've known your mother for a long time…. and I can't say it's been a pleasure. So I have a preposition for you…. Break his heart and I won't break you."

 _Usually it's the other way around…and the dad talking to the guy…._

"So, we will pretend that you are dead, hmm?"

" _No_ —I can't. I _love_ Percy, I've known him all my life, even if I've just realized it, but I know for a fact that I can't do that. No."

Poseidon glared at me, as if he hadn't been expecting me to disagree.

"Listen here, missy," He leaned in, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "This needs to happen, whether you want it to, or not. I have two words that might make you think about your choice: _Jeremy Genic._ "

I froze, frightened. Poseidon pushed me into a room and locked the door from the other side so I couldn't escape.

"Now I'm going to go tell Percy that you've died." He said, his voice echoing from behind the door.

 __I pounded my fists on the door, screaming. "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! PERRRCCYYYY!"

I frantically ran around the small room, trying to find something heavy. _Aha, this chair will do_.

I smashed it against the window, wincing as the glass created a waterfall around me. _Jeremy taught me something, but if he_ was _here, I have to warn Percy._

Climbing out the now jagged hole in the wall, I moaned as some glass imbedded itself into my skin.

Suddenly, I found myself in the common area, along with many people staring at me, confused.

"Hey guys…" I said slowly, not sure where they stood on this. "Does anyone know where Percy is?"

Piper frowned at me. "Annabeth? But you're dead…." Her eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty. _Oh, crap._

"Peeeerrrcccyyy I am surreeee that you willlll gettt ovverrr thattt "giiiiiiiirrrrlll." I heard Rachel's voice outside the door that led to the common room, and two pairs of footsteps halted.

"Rachel, I—No. I—" Percy sighed.

"Piper," I whispered urgently. "I'll owe you big time, but please can you distract Rachel? Preferably lead her away?" I pleaded, begging on my knees.

She raised an eyebrow, but slowly nodded. I exhaled in reassurance.

"Hey, Rache. So, the Big Three need to see you, like right _now._ Hey Perce. C'mon Rache, let's go." She was a miracle worker.

Percy walked into the room, and my heart stopped.

"Annabeth?" He said, unsurely.

"Percy!" I ran into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"You're in dang—scratch that, _everyone_ is in danger!"

"Wise Girl, hold on. You're not dead?" I smiled at his Seaweed-Brain-ey-ness.

"No, Percy, I'm not dead."

"Good." He squeezed me tight again. "Now what was this nonsense about being in danger?"

"Your dad said that this guy, Jeremy Genic, was here and if he is…" a tear rolled down my cheek, "then we're all in grave peril."

"Sh…there's no one here named "Jeremy Genic", you're just hyperventilating because you're not dead." I slapped him.

"This is _serious_!"

"I repeat: there is _no one_ here named—"

" _Jeremy Genic_?" A different voice finished Percy's sentence. I turned to see a blond haired, blue eyed wonder, and my eyes traced the familiar scar down his face.

I sucked in a deep breath.

"That is correct. Because my name is actually…Luke Castellan. I was simply lying to all of you for your entire lives." Jeremy/Luke smile at me.

"Hello Annabeth, aren't you supposed to be dead?" He asked me, giving me a smile that had once melted my insides.

 **{8-18-15} OKAY guys. I admit, I have been a VERY VERY VERY bad, bad author in completely forgetting about this story. I thought I would have loads of time to write over the summer, but apparently I just wanted to relax. Now that school is back in session, I (ironically) have time. So, once again, I'd like to apologize, apologize, apologize.**

"It's okay, Wise Girl. This is Luke—he wouldn't harm anybody!" Percy said reassuringly, squeezing me tightly.

"That's right, Annabeth." Luke gave me a grin, but I could see a cold glint behind his eyes.

I shivered. _You may_ seem _harmless, Luke, but I know you. I know who you are._

*flashback*

" _Ouch! St-stop! I'll tell the teacher! OW!" I stopped in the hallway, confused. I was coming back from the restroom, having asked permission and received a hall pass by my second-grade teacher, like a good girl. These must be students who had snuck out without a hall pass and were berating each other for it._

Serves them right. _I thought smugly._

 _I turned the corner, and stopped in my tracks, shocked. A boy in my class, Jeremy Genic, was kicking a little girl—who seemed to be in kindergarten—in her back, most likely bruising her ribs._

 _"Jeremy?" I said, my lower lip trembling. He had always been at the top of the class with me, we were both class presidents and the golden children…. how could he hurt someone?_

 _He gave the girl another good final kick, before turning to me and staring at me sadly._

 _"I was only defending myself!" He protested._

 _"Didn't look like it." I retorted, helping the girl up, whom I recognized as Kathleen, my friend Sara's little sister._

 _"Sh-she…" Jeremy said, trembling, even though I could see his mind racing. Whether it was to think up an excuse, or to remember his clear reason for causing someone pain._

 _"She insulted all of my family!" He said proudly, sticking his upper lip out._

 _"I swear! I didn't do it!" Kathleen objected._

 _"Don't lie!" Jeremy told her sternly, giving her arm a little smack._

 _"Kathleen," I began, "it is not a good habit to lie or to insult other's families. And Jeremy," I turned, directing my reprimanding gaze upon my fellow classmate, "do not harm others! There are other, better ways of fixing mistakes."_

 _I promptly swiveled on my heel and pulled Kathleen behind me to the nurse's office before returning to my classroom._

*end of flashback*

"Anyways, Annabeth. You have not answered my question." Luke said. I stared at him dumbly.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" He asked again. I took a breath before composing myself.

"No—well, yes. Actually, Poseidon simply locked me into a closet and told me that he was off to tell you," I looked at Percy, "that I was dead. So, I knew I needed to escape and tell you the truth of what had happened."

Percy put his face into the crook of my neck and sighed.

"And that's not all." I continued. "Your father also told me that he wants you to fall in love with Rachel… I don't know why…"

Percy's face contorted with anger. "I _told_ him, I won't be able to like, or _love_ , a creature of that kind!" He spat out.

"Well, I see you have passed my test." Poseidon's cruel voice came into presence.

"What?" I asked, wrenching myself from Percy and facing his father with both fists up in a fighting stance.

"I didn't know if you were worthy enough of my son, so I gave you a test—without you knowing of it, of course—and, you passed, Ms. Chase. Unfortunately." He added under his breath.

"Welcome to the organization." He shook my hand, even though I was still glaring at him.

"Thanks." I replied curtly, before burying myself into Percy's chest. His arms wrapped themselves around me and I felt him rest his head on my head.

"Remember, people! We have a mission tomorrow!" I had forgotten about all of the other people in the common room.

"Ms. Chase, you will be working in headquarters. Someone will point you there. I expect _all of you_ reporting to your stations at six o'clock in the morning tomorrow!" He left the room, and murmurs began working their way around the room.

"As long as we're together." I whispered to Percy, and he smiled and nodded.

 _"And honey you should know,_

 _That I could never go on without you,_

 _Green eyes,_

 _Honey you are the sea,_

 _Upon which I float…"_

"Ugh…" I groaned, and slapped the desk beside my bed to find my phone. Coldplay's "Green Eyes" was playing, which meant only one thing: I had to wake up. Now.

Grabbing my phone—which had recently been returned to me—I lifted my right pointer finger to tap the button to turn it off, but I hesitated.

 _"The green eyes,_

 _you're the one that I,_

 _wanted to find,_

 _And anyone who tried to deny you,_

 _Must be out of their mind,_

 _Because I came here with a load,_

 _And it feels so much lighter since I met you,_

 _Honey you should know,_

 _That I could never go on without you,_

 _Green eyes, green eyes,_

 _Oh oh oh oh,_

 _Oh oh oh oh,_

 _Oh oh oh oh,_

 _Oh oh oh oh,_

 _Honey you are a rock,_

 _Upon which I stand."_

When the song finished playing, I smiled at my reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall opposite my bedside, and thought about Percy.

"Wise Girl?" Came a knock at the door.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Are you ready to go to HQ?"

"Oh my god. No. Give me five minutes." I jumped off my bed, and ran to the small closet that my room was equipped with. I heard a chuckle and then a creak from my door as someone leaned themself against it.

"Something business? Casual? Formal?" I asked desperately, digging through clothes hangars.

"Business? Casual? Formal? _What_?" Asked Percy, confused.

"What should I _wear_?"

"Oh. It doesn't really matter." He began to whistle.

"UGH." I groaned, before settling upon a gray shirt with three-quarter length sleeves that had white lace around the edges, a pair of comfortable jeans, and gray flats. In a split-second decision, I threw on a long, bejeweled, owl necklace that had been my mom's, and a white headband.

I brushed my teeth in record time, and took a few moments to observe my room.

After being accepted into "criminal society" yesterday, I had made many friends, and I had fit in quite nicely. _Shudder_. I couldn't wholly process the fact that I was now in a mass convict organization.

Piper had stuck by my side for the rest of the day, and had introduced me to a few people. First, she had acquainted me with a young girl named Hazel, and her boyfriend Frank.

Hazel had large, bushy, brown, and curly hair that was held back from her face with a golden headband at all times. Her cocoa colored skin often glowed in contrast with her dark brown and gold-speckled eyes. She had a quiet, gentle personality, and an obvious voice of reason.

Frank immediately struck me as Chinese, but after further inquiry I found out that he was Chinese-Canadian _and_ he had Greek ancestry—it seemed that everyone here had some sort of Greek ancestry, even me—his black hair was cut short, military style, and he had a large bulk, looking like a huge, ferocious animal at times, even though his personality was also very mild, like Hazel's.

Then, Piper had tugged me into the cafeteria, to meet her best friend: Repair Boy. "Repair Boy" turned out to be a short, Hispanic-looking, elf-like boy named Leo. Leo had curly dark hair, dark colored eyes, and a mischievous smile on his face. He seemed to be smudged with ashes from a fire, and his clothes were singed. Around his waist hung a tool belt, from which he had been constantly pulling out items and tinkering with them during our conversation.

After protesting to Piper that I was tired, she led me along several hallways to my new assigned room. It was larger than what I was used to, about forty-five by forty-five square feet with an attached bathroom that was fifteen by fifteen feet. The walls had been painted a light gray with turquoise patterned stars.

I had a four-poster bed that had a silver bedspread and silver blankets and pillows, all with an owl on them. The curtains around my bed were a beautiful light blue color, and the ceiling and floor were also painted that same color. At the left-hand side of my bed, there was a simple, plain, wooden desk that had architecture books stacked all over it.

I fell in love with my room; it was perfectly fitted for me.

"Annabeth. Annabeth. ANNABETH. ANNABETH!" Percy's voice woke me from my daydream.

"IT'S FIVE MINUTES TILL SIX!" I quickly pulled open my door and ran out, bumping into Percy, causing us to tumble onto the floor.

"Sorry, Seaweed Brain." I mumbled, blushing.

"It's fine, Wise Girl." He said, giving me a hand to help me up.

I closed my door behind my and said, "Well, let's get going! Off to HQ!"

He laughed, which made my heart flutter, and grabbed my hand—intertwining our fingers—and pulled me behind him down the hallway.

"So, I'm going to have to give you a complete tour later—since we don't have enough time currently—so here's the short version: there's a hallway to the left of your room, at the end of it is the cafeteria. The hallway to the right of your room leads towards the game room/common area, and the final hallways in front of your bedroom is the main hallway—which we are currently walking down. On the left-hand side, there are bedrooms, so don't go into those unless specifically asked, and on the right-hand side, there are the generic meeting and planning rooms for missions. Don't go into those either, unless you're asked to, because that's where the Big Three and their Council meet.

"Up this staircase," he took two steps at a time, causing me to stumble and almost fall, before catching myself. "There is only one room. There isn't even a hallway for it; it's just a door at the top, see?" He pointed at the door. "And _that_ , Wise Girl, is Head Quarters." Percy pushed open the door confidently and—still dragging me—power-walked towards the center of the room. "There are more doors and hallways, of course, but unfortunately you don't have the level of access for them yet." He added ruefully, giving me a sympathetic look.

"Anyway, this is Malcolm, our head of our Head. Quarters." He added after a laugh. "Malcolm, meet Annabeth." Percy pushed me forwards in front of another teenager, who looked to be the same exact age as me.

"Hello, it is my pleasure to meet you." Malcolm shook my hand, as I stared at him open-mouthed. Malcolm's steely gray eyes looked into my identical ones for a long moment, before softening around the edges. His hair was a dark, golden brown—not as light as mine, but a few shades darker—and it was also a curly mess. In other words, we looked almost exactly the same.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth." I said, giving his hand a firm shake. For a few seconds, our hands still connected, Malcolm and I stared into each other's eyes, a few glimpses of recognition bouncing back and forth from our pupils.

"Well, err—" Percy coughed awkwardly, and I quickly retracted my hand to my side.

"If I may ask, when is your birthday?" Malcolm asked suddenly, and I stared at him, shock written in my facial features at his sudden outburst.

"You see—" Percy continued but I ignored him, my entire concentration focused on this boy in front of me.

"July 12th." I said, and Malcolm sucked in a frantic breath of air.

"What is your father's name? What is your mother's name?" He fired at me.

"Um, Frederick….and well, my mom….Athena." I answered, fading off a little bit at the end, thinking about my mom.

"Well, Annabeth," Malcolm held his hand out to me again, "Nice to meet you, I'm Malcolm. Malcolm Chase, born to Frederick and Athena Chase on July 12th." I stared at him, open-mouthed.

"Whaaaaaatt?" Percy said, voicing my thoughts exactly.

"We will talk later." Malcolm—who was my brother, actually my _twin_ brother—told me, before telling me, "We only have three minutes left until Go Time, so here's the rundown: only work at your station, instructions will be posted digitally on the computer's desktop." He attached a headset to his head, and began to yell at everyone in HQ. "Let's GO GO GO, PEOPLE! MOVE IT ALONG! TO YOUR WORK STATIONS, EVERYONE! HURRY UP!"  
"Your cubicle is number fifty-seven," Percy pointed out to me, before dropping a kiss on my lips. I stared at him breathlessly; it still amazed me every time he did something like that. "Bye, I'm in one of the teams actually doing the work. I'll see you later, Wise Girl." He gave me another quick kiss before departing.

I simply stared at the space that he had occupied.

"Annabeth! GO TO YOUR CUBICLE!" Malcolm's voice shocked me back into reality, and I ran towards the fifty's, where my own station was located near the end of a row of look-alike cubicles.

Taking a moment to admire the handcrafted Daedalus Laptop that was sitting neatly on the metallic desk, I gazed around my workspace.

"ONE MINUTE!" I heard Malcolm's shrill sounds almost burst my eardrums, and I hastily flung myself into the black swivel chair, attached a similar looking headset to myself, and logged on to the computer.

 _Objective of today's mission: infiltrate Kronos Time Workshop._

 _Lord Kronos, as he is known—no other name has been found—owner of Kronos Time Workshop (Watch Shop), is guilty of stealing many diamonds worth millions of dollars from Hades' Enterprises: Jewel Select, to accessorize his cheap watches._

 _Your mission, Annabeth Chase, is to guide Group Alpha—headed by Percy Jackson—to Kronos' private safe in his office, where intel is said to have found records of the stolen diamonds. Under no circumstances, are you allowed to become distracted. Other teams are working now at this moment to make sure of all operatives' safety._

 _Using your headset, please turn it on now…_

I complied with the instructions.

 _Inform Percy Jackson of any security measures (i.e. Laser beam security alarms, etc.) that you spot on your camera screen on your computer. Watch your group's progress diligently, to ensure the completion of the mission._

 _We thank you in aiding our goal to help the common people._

 _—Olympus_

 _Woah_ , I thought, _Olympus as in Olympus Architecture, Olympus Shipping Express, Olympus Cruise Liners, Olympus…well, everything?_

Seconds after finishing to read my instructions, several screens flickered on.

"And we are a GO!" Malcolm shouted, and furious clicking could be heard.

"Annabeth?" A cautious voice echoed into my headset.

"Hi, Percy." I whispered back.

"Can you see us?" He asked, and I scrolled through several open tabs before finding Percy, the Stolls, Piper, and Jason huddling next to a door clearly labeled: _KRONOS TIME WORKSHOP._

"Yeah." I breathed, feeling my nerves go on hyper alert. I saw thin lines, almost barely visible, crossing the door with a thick "X", glowing softly in a pale purple color.

"Percy? You see those lines? On the door? Glowing kind of purple-y?"

"Noooo…..oh yeah. Alright, thanks." I watched tensely as Piper and Jason attached several devices at each point of the cross, and as the lights fizzled out slowly.

"Good job, Annabeth." Malcolm's voice came into being through my headset, and I smiled, feeling pleased with myself.

Looking back at my screen after beaming at myself for a few minutes, I noticed that Percy and the gang were inside the store, only a few yards away from Kronos' private office, which housed his safe.

"What's up?" I asked him, glaring at the harsh lights, attempting to make heads or tails of why they had stopped prowling through the shop.

"I don't know…" Percy replied, his voice sounding a little drowsy. With alarm, I noticed the Stolls swaying a little from side to side, unsteady on their feet. I scrutinized the picture in front of me, before finding a small stream of lightly colored air blowing with full force from a vent.

"PERCY! Listen to me, some kind of strange air is being vented into the room, it's making all of you drowsy and unable to think or fend for yourselves! Look! Travis and Connor are starting to fall asleep!"

"Mhmm. Annabeth, have I ever told you that you smell nice? Like lemons…. I _like_ lemons…. I also _like_ you!" I groaned in frustration, but the corners of my mouth quirked up at Percy's adorableness.

"PERSEUS JACKSON! IF YOU DO NOT LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW, THERE WILL BE NO BLUE IN YOUR LIFE, NO PANCAKES, NO OCEAN, AND MOST CERTAINLY NO ME. SO LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW!"

"Yes ma'am!" I could see Percy salute to a blank space, where I supposed he pictured me to be. "Woah," I saw his confusion. He quickly applied a mask to his face, and then proceeded to help his teammates, who were incapable of doing the act themselves at current times.

"Okay, we're heading into the office now."

"Alright." I affirmed, cracked my knuckles, and stooped forward, analyzing everything that I could see.

"Annabeth?" I frowned at the screen that I was intently staring at, displeased to be disrupted in my work. Percy and the others were working their way back from the office, stolen goods in hand, and it was crucial for me to pay attention.

"What?" I snapped, turning around in my swivel chair, before allowing a shocked expression to take control of my face.

Jeremy, I mean, _Luke_ , stood in front of me; leaned against a wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"What do you want, Je-Luke?" I corrected myself hastily, trying not to show how much his reappearance affected me.

"Well," He smirked. "I wanted to have a little chat, you know…talk about old times, and what better time then during an important mission?" He chuckled dryly, sitting down in a spare chair, facing me.

"If what you mean by talk, is introduce my fist to your face, then gladly!" I beamed a fake smile. "Now get out, I'm busy." I pointedly spun around, and glowered at the monitor's display, imagining it to be Luke's stupid facial features.

"Annie, Annie, Annie…" He sighed, disappointed. "Is _this_ how you treat old friends?"

"First of all, do _not_ call me 'Annie'. My name is Annabeth, not Annie, not Beth, not Anna, not Anna _belle_ , but _Annabeth_. Now that that's established, my second point: you are not an 'old friend'. Not. To. Me. Thirdly, go away."

"I'd like to apologize. For my actions….I'm very sorry, Annie. I didn't mean to hurt you."

I stared at him, weighing his actions mentally, and observing his eyes. Emotions could be found quite easily in the eyes, but with Luke, I found that his eyes seemed to be blank slates…. nothing in them to show a spark of anything.

I saw a flicker of humor in his eyes, and I made my decision.

"That…. is _crap_. Now leave me alone before I get security in here." I threatened, not sure how the concept of "security" would work for a criminal head quarters.

"I am the head of security." Luke said, devoid of any emotion.

"Okay…." I replied, a little puzzled to why he was still here. "I chose not to accept your apology, now scat."

He still sat there, not moving a muscle except to blink. It was a little unnerving.

"Why are you still here?" I asked bluntly, taking a few seconds to switch to a different desktop so I could still observe Percy and the others out of my peripheral vision.

"No reason." Luke stood up and left my cubicle. I gazed after him, confused.

"Wise Girl?" A different voice filtered into my hearing, and I blinked for a minute, thinking I was hearing voices before realizing that it was Percy.

"Yeah?"

"Could you notify someone to pick us up?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

I fiddled with my headset for a little bit, before feeling satisfied with what I had done.

"Malcolm?"

"Hi, Annabeth. Is anything wrong?" He asked concernedly.

"No, Percy was just asking for a getaway vehicle."

"Ah, okay. Send me the coordinates." _Click_.

I heard static, and assumed that Malcolm had switched to another channel.

I changed to Percy Channel.

"I'm sending Malcolm your coordinates, and he's sending someone to pick you guys up."

"Alright." He sent his affirmative, and I opened another tab, my fingers flying quickly to check exactly where Percy—and by that I meant Percy's earpiece, which was attached to him—was.

 _Click, click, click._

"Sent them to you." I told Malcolm, and I as I heard his thanks, a slight blush came to my cheeks. I had to admit it, I was happy here, and proud.

 _Click, click, click._

"Hey Seaweed Brain."

"Hey-oh!" I giggled at his response.

"Woah! Did I just make _Annabeth Chase_ giggle?" He asked, dumb-founded.

"Shut up." I said, through my laughter.

"You know you love me!" He replied jokingly, but my breath got caught in my throat. _Did I? Did I love Percy?_

I was interrupted from my thoughts when a small text message icon appeared in the top right hand corner of my computer.

"Hold on Percy, I have to go really quickly. See you." I turned off my earpiece, and clicked on the message apprehensively.

 _Hi._ The message said.

 _Hello._ I replied, cautiously.

 _Annabeth?_ I blinked.

 _No._ I replied quickly.

 _It's me, Dad._ How had he found me?

 _I know you probably don't want to talk, but I just wanted to say that what you did was no excuse, young lady. Helen and I have been feeding you, paying for your education, and even supplying you with siblings to amuse yourself with, but in gratitude all you do is run away? I expect you home in exactly one week, nine o'clock in the morning. No excuses. Love, Dad._

I watched the lines of text move downwards, and thought about it. _Go home? Stay here? Go home? Stay here? Go home…? No chance._

 _Sorry, sir, but I am not "Annabeth", so it appears that you are mistaken. You have most likely received a wrong number._ I typed back, and hit send.


End file.
